102 



MOCKING WATER-CHAT. 



- ; '? 



Fluvicola nengeto) SWAINS. 

 PLATE VIII. 



Upper plumage, breast, and tip of the tail, cinereous ; wingi 

 and tail black ; primary quills with a band of pure white 

 at their base ; ears and maxillary stripe varied with grey 

 and black ; throat and body beneath, white. 



Lanius nengeta, Linn. Auct Muscicapa polyglotta, Spix, ii. 

 PL 24. 



I BELIEVE that this common bird is one out ot 

 three species, of three different genera, that com- 

 pose the Lanius nenyeta of Dr. Latham and his 

 followers. One of these appears to he the Grey 

 Pie of Edwards, Plate 318, which is unquestionably 

 a mocking thrush of the genus Orpheus ; the se- 

 cond is some species of true Shrike (Lanius) found 

 in Russia ; and the third is the present bird. Dr. 

 Latham has still further generalized his ideas of his 

 Lanius nengeta^ by actually placing with it, as va- 

 rieties, two other species of true Lanius^ one of 

 which we have elsewhere shown to be nominal 

 To unravel such a complication of errors is next to 

 an impossibility ; they meet us in every page of our 



